


Day Two Hundred Forty-One || Wild Parrot

by 365daysofsasuhina



Series: 365 Days of SasuHina 2019 [241]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-31
Updated: 2019-08-31
Packaged: 2020-10-03 22:07:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20460248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/365daysofsasuhina/pseuds/365daysofsasuhina
Summary: When Hinata's beloved pet escapes, she's sure she'll never see him again. But a chance encounter might mean a reunion!





	Day Two Hundred Forty-One || Wild Parrot

She can still remember the day she got her first pet: a cute little cockatiel for her thirteenth birthday. The gift, admittedly, was much a surprise. Hiashi was the sort to value the cleanliness of his home above just about anything else...which meant pets for the girls were rather limited. Hanabi had a hamster quite briefly - it didn’t last long due to her negligence. She’d only been six at the time. Hinata, on the other hand, had relied far more on having plants as companions growing up. A love she inherited from her mother, who’d also been quite fond of flora.

So having an animal of any sort to call her own was unexpected, but certainly welcomed. Hanabi had been a tinge jealous at first, but Hiashi insisted she’d proven herself not quite ready for a pet yet. Hinata named the soft grey bird Blushy for the large red marks on his cheeks. And for several months, she adored the little thing. He accompanied her everywhere in the house, riding on her shoulder and learning songs she would whistle. She even taught him to dance, bobbing happily as he squeaked a merry tune.

But then...disaster struck.

In Hiashi’s rush one morning to chase a neighbor’s dog from the yard, he left the front door open just as Hinata made her way downstairs for breakfast. As always, Blushy had been on her shoulder, twittering away...until he saw the door. For whatever reason, the beckoning of freedom seemed to outweigh his fondness for his little mistress...and with a flutter, he’d made a beeline outside, and disappeared.

Hinata had been heartbroken. Her little friend was just...gone. A whole wide world was open to him then, and it was rather clear he wouldn’t be coming back. Surely even if he wanted to...he’d never be able to find his way home, inexperienced and lost. She mourned as though he’d died, certain she’d never see him again. Surely a cat would catch him, or another person, or he’d get hurt somehow…!

It wasn’t fair!

For once, Hiashi actually felt rather guilty, offering to get her a new little avian companion. But Hinata declined, claiming it wouldn’t be the same. Blushy was gone. There would never be another Blushy. He was a wild parrot now, a feral bird lost in a place his kind were never intended to roam.

Her melancholy lasted for weeks. Any time a bird would flutter through the yard, Hinata would perk up, wondering if her beloved friend had returned...only to be disappointed by a wild, native bird instead. Eventually she stopped looking, figuring there was no point.

She would never see Blushy again, she was sure. No matter his fate...he’d never make it home again.

But no matter the heartbreak the little Hyūga was facing...life went on. She had school to go to: assignments to do, tests to take, homework to procrastinate, and fellow students to navigate. While she mostly stuck to her own company and just tried to scrape past everything else, she still couldn’t help but hear and see more than most gave her credit for. Most of it didn’t matter to her. Gossip, rumors, drama that didn’t hold her interest. She never really minded who was dating who, who had a fight with who, who had moved away or moved in. She’d only ever cared about one boy, but...he never saw her. He was too preoccupied by someone else...not that Hinata could blame him. She was quiet. Weird. Boring. And during her low weeks after losing Blushy, that only compounded.

But then...she happened upon a piece of information that _did_ mean something to her. And it came from someone completely unexpected.

Slowly sorting through her locker one morning, she’d perked up a hair when the familiar tones of Naruto’s voice reached her. His locker was only a few down from her own, and that often meant hearing his morning conversations...which were most typically held with a boy named Sasuke. The two constantly bickered, but somehow managed to call each other friends. Hinata didn’t quite understand the dynamic, but...well, she’d never really succeeded in finding friends of her own. And maybe it was just a thing boys did.

“I’m telling you, it’s weird is all.”

“Is it though?”

“Yeah it is! Birds like that are supposed to be pets, not out in the wild!”

Naruto perked a brow at his companion. “So, maybe someone lost theirs…?”

“That’s what I was thinking. Maybe I should try to catch it?”

“I dunno, maybe. Could you?”

“I can try.”

“Why was it trying to get in your window, though?”

“My best guess is because I have a bird.”

“...you do?”

“Yeah I do! I told you about it, remember? Naruto, you’ve _seen_ it before. I have a cockatiel!”

“Oh, right…”

“You’re hopeless - you can’t remember anything!”

“It’s not like it’s that important!”

“It’s important to me,” Sasuke muttered. “...anyway, I think it knows it’s another bird like itself, so it wanted in. I’ll see if I can catch it, and check if anyone’s lost one. Cuz it’s super weird it’s just...out in the city like that.”

“Okay dude. Have fun with that. Hey, you gonna give me your notes for Algebra…?”

“What? We had all week to work on them!”

“I know, but I was busy!”

As the subjected changed, Hinata barely dared to hope. So, this Sasuke guy had seen another cockatiel…? Could it be her beloved Blushy? But...how to ask...she’d never really spoken to Sasuke before…

Her curiosity, however, outweighed her shyness, and she gingerly stepped up beside them. “Um...e-excuse me…”

Both boys turned, looking surprised. “...yeah?”

“I - I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but...w-were you talking about a, um...a cockatiel…?”

“Yeah, one’s been hanging around my window,” Sasuke clarified.

“Is...is it grey?”

“...yeah. Did you…?”

“A f-few weeks ago, mine got out of the house,” she began to ramble. “My dad left the door open, and he just...flew outside! I tried looking, but he never came back…”

That got the boy to brighten. “Well...I was gonna try to catch it. If I do, I’ll let you know, okay? Then you can come see if it’s yours. A lot of them look the same, but...maybe we’ll find a way to tell if he’s yours or not.”

Hope glimmered in Hinata’s eyes, widening in surprise at the display of kindness. “Oh, t-thank you…! I-I would appreciate that s-so much!”

“Sure. What’s your name, again…?”

“Hinata! Hinata Hyūga!”

“I’m Sasuke Uchiha. I’ll try tonight and let you know tomorrow.”

“O-okay!”

Elated, Hinata got through her day riding a gust of hope. Surely there was a slim chance anyone else nearby had just so happened to lose another cockatiel just like hers, right? And she taught him a song from her favorite cartoon - if he knew it, she’d be sure he was Blushy!

Once she got home, however...the waiting was nearly torture. With no other way to contact Sasuke, she would have to see what he said come morning. Until then...she had to suffer her impatience.

Her rush to dress, eat, and get to school the following morning earned a perked brow from her father. “Something wrong, Hinata?”

“Oh, no! Just need to check something!” she assured him, zipping out the door and hurrying the several blocks to school.

To her surprise...Sasuke was waiting for her at her locker, and her chest swelled. “D-did you catch him?”

Startling at her outburst, he blinked, and then nodded. “Yeah. It’s definitely a male, so...I guess we can see tonight if he’s yours. I have him in a spare cage - he was kinda skinny, so I gave him some food and water.”

“Oh, thank you...e-even if he’s not mine, it’s good to hear you’re doing so much!”

That earned a curious look. “...I like birds. My brother does, too. So I couldn’t just leave the poor guy. Can you come after school…?”

“I’ll call my dad and ask him once classes are over, but it s-should be fine if I explain!”

Unlike yesterday, her classes crawled by. Looking forlornly to the clock every few minutes, Hinata was sure they’d never end. But when they did, she found the phone by the office, Sasuke waiting nearby.

“You’re sure?”

“Well, no...I-I need to check. But is it okay…?”

“...I suppose so. Just be home before dark.”

“I will!” Hanging up, she gave her new companion a thumbs up...and they were off.

Sasuke, as it turned out, lived in the opposite direction, and several blocks further than Hinata. But they made the trip in good time, neither of Sasuke’s parents yet home. “My brother’s got chess practice after school so here’s not here either.”

“O-oh…”

Up to his room they went, and Hinata found herself looking at two bird cages. In one was a soft white female, who whistled softly in greeting.

“Hey Marshmallow,” Sasuke greeted. “So...any way to tell if he’s yours?”

“Um…” Approaching the spare cage, Hinata looked anxiously to the bird within. He _looked_ like Blushy, but...well, most cockatiels looked like him. Nibbling her lip, she then whistled a few notes of the song.

The bird perked...but didn’t respond.

...so she tried again. _Come on, Blushy...please answer me…!_

Subtly, he bobbed to the notes, letting it pause as Hinata waited. And then, sounding a bit tired...he whistled the rest of the song. Perfectly.

Tears quickly beaded along Hinata’s eyelids. “B-Blushy!”

“That’s him?”

“Y-yes,” Hinata blubbered, a bit embarrassed but too happy to care. “Oh my gosh...I thought I’d n-never see him again…!”

After a moment, Sasuke softened with a smile. “Well, you can take him home in that cage - I’ll walk with you and take it back when you get him settled back at home.”

“B-but that will be so far for you…!”

“It’s fine. I’ll just be happy to see him back where he belongs.”

Overwhelmed by a near-stranger’s kindness, her lip trembled before giving him a hug. “...thank you…”

Sasuke stiffened, not expecting the touch...but eventually gave her a few embarrassed pats. “S-sure...uh...we better go, huh? Don’t want your dad to get mad.”

“O-okay.”

The walk home was a long one, but they made it before her curfew. Hiashi, opening the door, was clearly just as surprised by the news...and actually looked a bit elated.

“No more open doors,” he promised, earning a small smile from his eldest. “And you, young man: thank you for finding him. Would you like some kind of reward, or…?”

“No sir,” the boy replied politely. “I was happy to do it. But I think ‘mallow will miss him.”

“Maybe they can have visits!” Hinata offered, smiling.

“Yeah...maybe they can. We can talk about it tomorrow.”

“Are you sure you want to walk all the way back…?”

“It’s not that far. I’ll be fine. Later, Hinata.”

“Bye…” Waving, she watched as he retreated down the driveway before turning to her feathered friend. “You, sir...are grounded.”

He just whistled in response.

**Author's Note:**

> This prompt threw me, I won't lie...and it doesn't help it's already late kjdhfg I'm still gonna be behind OTL Once SHM is over, I can probably catch up. Otherwise I'm just too busy Dx
> 
> ANYWAY, yeah, this is...super random, but at least I got it done lol - Uchiha already clearly love birds in canon, so having Hinata follow suit seemed cute. At least she got her lil birb friend back!
> 
> I'd say more, but I need to at least get today's (well...yesterday's) SHM entry done. I'll do the next daily...tomorrow. Later. Whatever. Hhhh I'll never catch up xD BUT, either way, thanks for reading!


End file.
